Distinguishing Between Popular and Scholarly Sources
Periodicals
Periodicals are generally grouped into three categories: Popular Magazines, Scholarly/Professional Journals, and Trade Publications. This handout will provide information on differentiating between popular and scholarly periodicals--the two most frequently accessed type of on-going publication in most libraries. Trade publications are those periodicals aimed at members of a trade or industry. A fourth type of periodical are tabloid publications such as the National Enquirer, Star, etc.; these should never be used in research, unless the topic of your paper is tabloid publications.
Many professors require a certain number of scholarly sources in research papers; some require that all sources used come from scholarly sources. In some cases deciding what is popular and what is scholarly is easy; in others it is difficult to make the distinction.
If you have any questions about the status of a periodical please ask your professor or a librarian. There are some general characteristics which apply to popular magazines and scholarly journals which are indicated in the following chart. Keep in mind, these are generalities; there are no absolutes. Many of the following characteristics describe print periodicals. Apply the same criteria for magazines and journals retrieved from Online and CD-ROM databases; keep in mind though, you will not be able to judge the publication in terms of appearance as you would a print publication.
Many electronic periodical databases provide the means to limit a search to either popular or professional/scholarly periodicals. Both EBSCO Academic Search Elite, EBSCO Business Source Premier and Health Reference Center Academic have the option to limit to peer reviewed or professional periodicals.
Popular Magazines and Scholarly
Journals
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POPULAR MAGAZINES | SCHOLARLY JOURNALS |
| AUDIENCE | General readers | Scholars, researchers, professors, students |
| APPEARANCE | Colorful, eye-catching, engaging, lively, slick | Serious, stark, plain |
| ADVERTISEMENTS | many, colorful, glossy; the ads keep the price down | Few ads; when included are usually for books, and other items related to the focus of the journal |
| PRICE | Inexpensive | Expensive |
| AVAILABILITY | Bookstores, newstands, grocery stores, libraries | Libraries; not usually available for single issue purchase |
| PUBLISHER | Commerical publishers | University Presses, professional associations, some commercial publishers |
| AUTHOR | Staff writers, journalists, usually not experts, articles are frequently unsigned | Professional, experts in the field, credentials given with the article |
| REFEREED | No | Yes; Articles go through a Peer Review Program where they are critiqued by other experts in the field before acceptance for publication |
| PUBLICATION SCHEDULE | Most often weekly or monthly | Most often quarterly or monthly |
| Non-technical, entertaining, news oriented | Original research | |
| FOCUS | Informative, introductory information, general, opinions | Specific narrow focus defined by the purpose of the publication |
| LANGUAGE,STYLE | Easy to read, engaging | Formal language, specialized jargon used, requires prior knowledge of the subject matter, for best comprehension keep a dictionary handy |
| LENGTH | Usually short to medium in length | Usually rather lengthy, plus print size tends to be small |
| ILLUSTRATIONS | Heavily illustrated, usually glossy, photographs, eye-catching | Few illustrations, little or no color, will include appropriate research oriented tables, charts, and graphs |
| DOCUMENTATION | Very little documentation if any | Extensive documentation, bibliographies, footnotes |
| TIMELINESS | Up-to-date | Timeliness is not as important; thoroughness, originality, and in-depth coverage/analysis of a topic are more important than being on the cutting edge of a newsworthy topic |
| WORDS IN TITLES | No specific words included or excluded; titles may be cutesy or contain slang | Frequently the following words appear in titles: Journal; Bulletin; Review; Resarch |
| INDEXES | SIRS, Newsbank, Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, WilsonSelect, (Many indexes include both types of periodicals) | EBSCO Academic Search Elite, Health Reference Center Academic, MLA Bibliography, CINAHL, PsychFirst, Humanities Index (Many indexes include both types of periodicals) |
| EXAMPLES | Time, Newsweek, Psychology Today, Prevention, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Rolling Stone, America, New Yorker, Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, Science News, Ladies Home Journal, Jet, Ebony, Parents, CQ Researcher,etc. | American Journal of Nursing, Psychological Reports, Harvard Business Review, JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, RN, Science, Lancet, Journal of Popular Culture, Review of Educational Research, Journal of Nutrition, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Social Work, Family Relations, etc. |
Books will usually fall into either a popular or scholarly category. Many of the same characteristics of periodicals will also be evident in books. In general, though, consider the following questions:
- What are the author's credentials? Is he a celebrity or an expert with clearly stated credentials?
- Who published the book? A University Press or a publisher traditionally associated with popular sources, ie, Dell Paperbacks or Bantom Books?
- Does the book contain footnotes, bibliographic references, appendices, an index, and the like?
- What is the tone of the book? Is it research oriented or chatty and sensational?
- If you are unsure of the status of a book, ask your professor or librarian, or you may wish to look for a book review in Book Review Digest or a periodical database.